OK the cat is out of the bag. I received the Rosewood on Friday. It took me two days to unload, sort and sticker it all. I had hoped to keep this under wraps for a few more days while I get my act together but oh well, lets rock and roll.Man is th...

Here’s the story, everything is lined up and ready to go. the lumber is in the box and has been fumigated. My import manager (I had to bring in a pro to help with all of the paperwork) has all of the documentation complete and we are schedul...

To everyone interested in Deni’s beautiful rosewood. Deni & I have been trying out how to get his wood to us. I live near Denver Colorado which is fairly central. If somebody knows of a cost effective way to get the wood shipped here I am will...

To all who have asked about the red & black quilted maple on my Pagoda Jewelry box.I think that in this case ignorance is bliss. After I worked out a recipe that I liked I read on other sites that I had done it all wrong! Oh well, I like the r...

Welcome to Lumberjocks . This is a great community of people with like interests.There is much to learn here & you will have the opportunity to share your skills & ideas with others. I hope you enjoy LJ’s as much as I do.

Does anyone have any tricks for drying wood? Since I work with whole log sections they end up with large cracks in most of the logs. I makes a bit of a challenge. The best approach I have found so far it to cut a piece at least 2 times the final size and allow it to dry that way.

Bibb, Thanks for stopping by my LJ home page. I followed your link, and am pleased that Weber has fueled/sparked a synergism that will likely will play out in a grand work of the boxmaker’s art and your own journey as an artist and artisan. I have put a great deal of work in my own quest in becoming technically proficient in construction technique and finishing. I’m oddly drawn to box-work as the main thrust of my woodworking journey on at least three levels.

There is the fact that all the techniques that are utilized in cabinet-making and furniture craft are put into play on a smaller scale in box-work. One can practice all the joinery, hardware fitting, finishing and adornment techniques found across the broad scale of casework. The economy of scale makes it possible to work with materials that would be very expensive in a full scale project. It also allows a great deal of opportunity to experiment without wasting a huge amount of stock.

And lastly there is the mystery of containment. All of a person’s treasures are held in boxes of one sort or another. A box assumes a role to it’s end user that is entirely personal and sometimes private in nature. From Pandora’s box; to the Ark of the Covenant and down to the box that holds the mementos of childhood, and the items of everyday use, each has it’s magical element as well as it’s utilitarian value.

I encountered Weber’s work on the back cover of a Fine Woodworking magazine, and his work is where I would attain to be (Hope with a capital H) had I the vision that he exhibits. I can only hope to attain that sort of proficiency on a technical level – as I don’t believe I will ever have the eye to see the concept, from a vision to the attainment of a truly original work of art. However, as Robert Browning wrote “Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for?”. There is a coterie of box-men and women on this site that have kindly shared their vision and artwork on this site. I think you are one of that tribe.

Good luck, I welcome you to Lumberjocks and look forward to watching for your work, and words on these pages.With regards,Douglas